Study the Effects of Vipassana Meditation on Increasing the Level of Psychological well-Being of People
Mina Qazinezam, S. Momtazi, Nasrin Yaghubi
December 28, 2014 DOI: 10.13005/bbra/1565 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 400 |
| Population | Two groups of 200 people each (experimental and control); the experimental group consisted of participants in 10-Day Vipassana courses |
| Intervention | Vipassana meditation |
| Duration | 10-day course, with follow-up testing 3 months after training |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The authors report that participants who completed the 10-day Vipassana course and continued practicing showed significant improvements in six dimensions of psychological well-being: autonomy, purposefulness in life, personal growth, environmental mastery, positive relationships with others, and self-acceptance. They conclude that Vipassana training and regular practice significantly raised psychological well-being in this sample. |
Abstract
Vipassana Meditation is considered to be the quintessence of the teachings from 2600 years back. It is non-sectarian and scientific technique of self-observation and truth-realization which leads to progressive better insight and positive mental health attributes, as also, inculcation of universal human values like love and goodwill, tolerance and compassion, peace and harmony, and spirituality. It‘s practical applications are discussed in this article. The main goal of this research was to study the effects of Vipassana on psychological well-being of people. In present research, two 200-person groups (experimental and control) were recruited. The experimental group included the participants of the 10-Day Vipassana courses. Before training, both groups were pretested then the experimental group was influenced by independent variable (Vipassana course). After the course finished both groups were tested again. Also, 3 months after training and applying this technique in daily life and interpersonal communication in experimental group, in order to pursue any expected changes, both groups have been tested for the third time. For statistical analysis of the results, the method of Mancova was used. The results showed that the experimental group after getting trained and practicing the technique regularly through their lives had obvious significant changes in 6 dimensions of autonomy, purposefulness in life, personal growth, environmental mastery, positive relationships with others and self-acceptance. So training and the regular applying of Vipassana technique had significant effect on increasing the level of psychological well-Being of our sample.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
Cites 3
- Meditation (Vipassana) and the P3a event-related brain potential. International Journal of Psychophysiology April 1, 2009
- Meditation states and traits: EEG, ERP, and neuroimaging studies. Psychological Bulletin March 2006
- An outpatient program in behavioral medicine for chronic pain patients based on the practice of mindfulness meditation: theoretical considerations and preliminary results. General Hospital Psychiatry April 1, 1982